Well my attempt to create a passable impression of an Ivatt Class 4 (a very vague impression ), sort of ground to a halt, it was not because I lost interest, it was just that I found lots of other things more interesting.
However I was spurred into action because of Ebay, the acquisition of a old Minitrix Ivatt Class 2 in a horrible condition (mint but with a British Railways number and emblem, of the inhumanity)meant I had to get some transfers to get the old girl in a decent livery.
So
This is Tim, the Domestic Overlord. Paul died last Wednesday. I wasn't in the right frame of mind to come on and post this before. We were together for a long time, and I know just how much he loved modelling and loved being able to get things just as he wanted them. I'd like this blog to stay up here if that's okay by the administrators.
Well thanks to a manic work schedule and some of the effects of my condition progress on Foster Street has been very, very slow. But being a tiny bit stubborn, yes only a tiny bit (The Domestic Overlord will say otherwise ) I was determined not to let it get to me or from doing some modelling.
Even if the progress was to be slow it was still progress, that's what I thought anyway, so I got out the list of outstanding jobs on Foster Street, and cracked on. The result of this was that it not o
Well after being at work for a monster 17 hours, not including travelling time (I know what your thinking, it's not one of my ploys to escape the demands of the Domestic Overlord ) my boss said that I could take a day off to recover. So in typical fashion, despite being "dog tired" I could not sleep, so I needed to find something to do to help me maintain my delicate metal state, so I tried to do a couple of little jobs on the layout.
So the first thing I thought I would tackle was the linin
Well in the last couple of days the Domestic Overlord has been very gracious and allowed me a couple of free hours, from duties around the house.
Being unaccustomed to such freedom at first I sat there in the skirt I borrowed, from next doors washing line caked in blue face paint contemplating plans to free other such enslaved modellers and leading a revolt against all the oppressors in the country, and then I thought, sod that I'm going to do some modelling.
So still wearing the skirt (
Well my on-going battle with the string of 14T tank wagons continues and has got as far as them all receiving an initial coat of grime.
As usual with me I think they look far too clean, the Domestics Overlord has commented in the past that if I could get them as dirty as I manage to get my shirt cuffs I still would not be happy.
Call me suspicious but I'm beginning to think its not a comment on my weathering prowess but maybe targeted more roundly at me. I personally believe when it come
Well lately modelling time has been in very very short supply, and then when I get the chance to spend a little time to do some modelling I cant be bothered
I don't know about you but apparently when I am in these moods, I can be a real pain, personally I cant believe this as I'm positively wonderful all the time, but when the Domestic Overlord actually demands I do some modelling perhaps the is some justification.
Anyway being a good boy, and always doing what I am told I went to the s
Well it's Sunday, the end of another hectic week, and the eve yet another, because I have been a very, very good Boy the Domestic Overlord, suggested that I could spend a little time on my layout . Yes you guessed it I smelt a rat (maybe I'm just a born cynic, or I maybe I have a rat sniffing habit??).
Anyway, not to miss an opportunity to spend some time on the layout I proceeded very cautiously, in fact like a sneaky little squirrel. I have been working on and off on creating storage boxes
Well it the end of another weekend, and this one was quite busy, what little free time I had on Friday evening and Saturday was spent getting little jobs finished on the layout, so that it was presentable for this mornings visit by a very nice chap, who was there to turn a "pigs ear" into a "silk purse" I will have to wait a few weeks to see the results.
But more importantly it meant I had to get the backscene fitted to board three more permanently, and also try to improve the exit the branc
Well all you N gauge modellers out there will have to line up to thank me, I started working on a Fairburn tank last year and Farish release one, so thanks to me some RTR manufacturer will release a Stanier and the Fowler 2-6-4T.
Yes today the Foster Street fleet was increased by two "really usful" large tank engines today, well they are running, but they could still do with a little more detailing, and maybe some or more weathering, and one that is waiting for its wheels if I can remember w
Well since my last update, I have not made a lot of progress on any of the projects clogging up the workbench.
This has been partly due too a nightmare couple of weeks at work, and one of the side effects of my condition meaning my hands shake and spasm which makes N gauge challenging to say the least.
Anyway my frustration at not actually doing any serious modelling grew to a level greater than the obstacles in the way, so I have managed to make a little progress.
As a result my att
As the Domestic Overlord has granted my parole, because I have been such a good boy recently I decided to ballast the track on Board 3.
This usually boring job, progressed far quicker than I thought and as a result I had some free time, so out came the paint brushes and I attempted to make the girder bridge look more realistic.
Feeling rather smug with myself I thought I would review some of my goods rolling stock, and work out how many wagons I needed to finish, a task I'm not looki
Well I completed the final bit of prep on some of the Locomotive fleet today, on some examples from a lesser railway, I don't mean the Southern, but the LNER.
I know I'm and LMS man, but Foster Street is based in the Northwest so even though I hate to admit it the LNER got into the area, so I have a little collection for the odd inter-regional train.
When Farish released the V2 I held out for quite a while, before I finally gave in an bought one, it sat in the fleet occasionally getting
Well over the last few days, when ever I could I have managed to spend a little time on the projects clogging up my work bench of DOOM!!
The main focus of my attention was supposed to be on the Stanier Mogul and the Class 5 I was attempting to portray with a self weighing tender, but as usual I found other distractions.
A while ago I managed to bag from Evil bay a brand new Jubilee for a mere £50, the problem was the nasty manufacturer had decided to shame the poor girl by not only givin
Well you know how it is, our hobby is supposed to be a relaxing, fun one, but you know how it is you start chatting to people and before you know it you have made a commitment.
That's what happened to me, I made a comment to a couple of chaps at the Warrington club one night that I had an LMS layout, they came round to see it, and before you know it the trap had been sprung and I agreed to take the layout to the October exhibition.
Of course, none of this was my fault, I was totally inno
Well what a weekend this had been, having made several trips to the local tip what seemed like an endless amount of decorating detritus, and after accidently breaking a wardrobe in the spare room that in my defence was looking rather past its best (well it was after I had paid it a little attention a few weeks ago ) the spare room was looking rather neat.
So because I was a good little boy the Domestic Overlord said I could put my train-set back up (I have given up trying to get it recognise
Well another weekend, and another chance to do a little more work on Foster Street, so being the seasoned experience modeller that I am, I reviewed my list of outstanding/incomplete work, and decided to do something completely different
I am supposed to be working on the storage yard and the correcting some of the alignment issues and to be fair I have done a little work on this, and I even managed to solder (or should that be more like weld) 10 tracks across one of the baseboard joints. I
Well I don't know how its happened but I have managed to find a little time to actually do some modelling, and as a bonus the Domestics Overlord, very kindly allowed me a little time out from my manacles .
Just in case the Domestic Overlord reads this, I'm sorry, I'm portraying the DO in a bad light, of course I was not released from my manacles................
Anyway before anyone notices I'm taking a break from "black leading the stove" I better let you know what I have been up to. Fo
Well its been a while since I made a posting on here, but I have managed to escape the constant toils wracked upon me by the Domestic Overlord and I have managed to spend some time working on Foster Street.
With a couple of exhibition dates looming there are many jobs I should be spending my time on (the major one being improving the storage yard and track alignment) but you know me that would be too easy.
Of the many ways the Domestic Overlord never ceases to amaze me, is the ability t
Well today I was another year older, so in an anti-celebration mood the Domestic Overlord and I walked (yes actually walked), into our local town to partake of a meagre spot of breakfast, spot the healthy tomato
Once we managed to get on the outside of a weeks worth of calories, and still having the use of our legs we managed to walk home, this healthy living is easy. Anyway I set off to the railway room to work on a few of the outstanding jobs that never seem to get finished, and actually m
Well I have had a few projects clogging up the workbench now for weeks, the problem being that time to spend on them has been extremely limited.
Amongst the other projects desperately trying to get my attention, and finally succeeding was a pair of 4F's. One was the latest Farish offering from the "Landship" pack and the other was an older Farish model that I have been trying a few things out on over a long period of time.
Anyway I had a little time today so, 30 minutes modelling time wa
Well the Domestic Overlord abandoned me last night, so in a vain attempt to take my mind of the monsters outside the house waiting to get me, as I was home from work late, I had to make do with listening to the Wigan match on the radio, watching the World Cup opening on TV and maybe do some work on the re-livery of my Jubilee.
So it was easy I had three objectives, and I think only one was marginally successful, for a Start Wigan got beat . The World Cup opening ceremony was terrible, and wh
Well the good news is this will be a very short update, in fact it will probably take me longer to type this than I have actually spent modelling (I can use multiple fingers - the problem is it multiplies the mistakes )
Anyway I have made a little progress on the streets around Foster Street and as you can see the Street lights are starting to go up, even though with the advantage of the camera (pesky thing) some of them appear not to be totally vertical .
I have even started to add a li
Well this morning as I awoke in Price Towers, an almost once in a lifetime thing happened, the weather reports on the TV were actually correct, it was freezing cold.
Still like I told the Domestic Overlord as they lay there apparently shivering, the heating does not go on until we see Penguins marching up and down the streets (and I don't mean Nun's )
Anyway as the Domestic Overlord was apparently suffering from "hyperthermia" I took advantage of the peace and quiet, well once I had clos
Being a simple sort of a chap, I have spilt the world into two types of people, Railway Modellers (even those who model the SR) and Non-Railway Modellers.
The problem is that unfortunately there seems to be far more Non-Railway Modellers in the world, which kind of make me thing I'm an endangered species, I certainly feel this way sometimes when I'm threatened with extinction, when the Domestic Overlord has to clean up the aftermath of some of my modelling miss-haps (hot soldering iron in po
